Do You Keep a Fishing Log?

[Michigander]

Do you keep a fishing log? I am going to put an honest effort into doing it this year because I would really like to analyze the data over the winter. If you have, what data points did you feel were the most valuable to you when you referenced it at a future date? Is there anything you didn't record that you really wished you did? I know that I won't stop fishing to write in a book but I can record a voice memo and then transfer those recordings into a notebook at a later non-fishing time.

Fishing Trip

• Location
• Time and Date
• Weather Conditions
• Water clarity and temp
• Level of boat traffic

Individual catches

• Species
• Size/weight
• Lure
• Presentation
• Part of lake where caught
• Relevant cover or features
• Depth
• Wind level
• Time of catch
• Sun level

 

What else would be good to know?

 

[HenryPF]

 I never really thought of this way, but I do keep a log-I record all my fishing with a camera on my hat (not a gopro type camera, they look stupid mounted on your forehead or hat). I know exactly what I caught, when, where, etc.

 

If you are not a hat guy, wear a chest mounted camera (go pro type cameras great for this) or just mount a camera facing you to catch all the action.

 

You can even edit them if you want to get fancy. As for other details, just say it into the camera. For storage you can edit out the parts where you didn't catch anything and upload them to youtube as unlisted for your personal enjoyment.

 

P.S. you don't have to spend $300 on a gopro, the YI and a SJCAMs are just fine for that.

[Koz]

I don't keep a fishing log, but a lot of fishing logs have kept my lures.

[Michigander]

A VLOG is a really interesting idea.  I just picked up a GOPro knockoff for my underwater explorations,  so it would be on the boat anyway. Continuous feed probably wouldn't work because I don't want to waste precious fishing time changing cards and batteries every hour or so. But I think mine has a remote...

[HenryPF]

1 minute ago, Michigander said:

A VLOG is a really interesting idea.  I just picked up a GOPro knockoff for my underwater explorations,  so it would be on the boat anyway. Continuous feed probably wouldn't work because I don't want to waste precious fishing time changing cards and batteries every hour or so.

 

Keep in mind battery changes and sdcard changes are only if you a using the normal battery in these cameras. If you mount a cam on your boat facing you Like this video of a boat run from A-Jay you can get a $20 cell phone battery bank that can run a camera like that 2 days straight less if you buy a big enough SDCard your camera supports.

[Michigander]

4 minutes ago, HenryPF said:

 

Keep in mind battery changes and sdcard changes are only if you a using the normal battery in these cameras. If you mount a cam on your boat facing you Like this video of a boat run from A-Jay you can get a $20 cell phone battery bank that can run a camera like that 2 days straight less if you buy a big enough SDCard your camera supports.

Well that is quite interesting! had no idea, my image background is with still photography so the world of video is still new to me.

[HenryPF]

So going by go pro settings (pretty much the norm) whatever you buy, a 32gb card gives you 4 hours 22 mins at1080p 60fps.

 

Some cams hold up to 256 gb card so it will record up to 35 hours on a single card

 

 

[Michigander]

I think I have a pair of 128GB cards, so that would be fine. I don't fish for over 17 hours straight without taking lunch break so I could switch cards then to be safe. Gonna need a big external hard drive to store all this footage, lol.

[MN Fisher]

Or you can do what I'm doing. I'm installing a small electrical panel in the canoe that has two switches, one for the fishfinder power and another that goes to this which will also be mounted in the panel.

USB Power Socket

 

Power will come from the two accessory ports on my MinnKota power center - one port to the finder, the other port to this. I'll run my tablet and one camera from this....ya, I'm going to be doing V-Blogging. The other camera - worn - will be attached to a 10,000 mAh power pack in my PFD's pocket. Since I'm rarely out for more than 4 hours, a single 32gb card in each should be more than sufficient. And yes, I have video editing software already.

On 2/4/2020 at 6:41 PM, Michigander said:

Gonna need a big external hard drive to store all this footage, lol.

Would an 8TB (8000gb) external drive be enough for you?

https://www.microcenter.com/product/504336/seagate-expansion-8tb-usb-31-(gen-1-type-a)-35-desktop-external-hard-drive---black

 

That's 250 32gb cards worth.

[Michigander]

Yeah, I think 8TB would do it. At least for a summer and then I could cut it down over the winter. Lolz 

[Bluebasser86]

I video my trips because I don't have the patience to write everything down.

[Michigander]

6 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I video my trips because I don't have the patience to write everything down.

It's the computer work afterward that gets me. That's screen time I could be spending on my 3D printer software.

[Bluebasser86]

9 minutes ago, Michigander said:

It's the computer work afterward that gets me. That's screen time I could be spending on my 3D printer software.

That's pretty simple. I'm not the most computer savvy but other than the time it takes my old laptop to upload the videos, it's usually about 10-15 minutes of editing out all the nothingness and piecing together the good parts.

[MIbassyaker]

I keep a log with basically the same information you mention above (although not every detail for every fish).  Depths, location, seasonal water temps are useful to look at.  No fancy equipment or apps -- I put brief notes in my phone every few catches, and then at home copy over to a text log and spreadsheet, adding in other details.

 

What I actually find most useful, though, is to include information about my general tactical approach, observations, and decisions made that day:  Where I went, at what times, what I tried, what adjustments did I make and how did i decide to make them...this provides information about not just what worked, but also what didn't work.

[Michigander]

8 minutes ago, MIbassyaker said:

I keep a log with basically the same information you mention above (although not every detail for every fish).  Depths, location, seasonal water temps are useful to look at.  No fancy equipment or apps -- I put brief notes in my phone every few catches, and then at home copy over to a text log and spreadsheet, adding in other details.

 

What I actually find most useful, though, is to include information about my general tactical approach, observations, and decisions made that day:  Where I went, at what times, what I tried, what adjustments did I make and how did i decide to make them...this provides information about not just what worked, but also what didn't work.

Yes, documenting non-success is also important to me. I'll have to add my mindset into the pre trip and post trip notes. Good advice! I'm curious what failed patterns I keep repeating without realizing it.

9 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

That's pretty simple. I'm not the most computer savvy but other than the time it takes my old laptop to upload the videos, it's usually about 10-15 minutes of editing out all the nothingness and piecing together the good parts.

Oh, that's not too bad at all! Be longer for me because I need to translate the data into a spreadsheet. LoL

[txchaser]

I didn't, and it's one of the biggest fishing mistakes I made in 2019.

 

The Anglr button is pretty good, click it and it'll record time/weather/etc to your phone, you can tell it size and lure, add notes, oh and it gets the GPS from your phone too. Or just click it and records everything but size and lure and you don't have to do anything at all. 

 

I thought I could keep it in my head and I was dead wrong. 

 

Also the ideas of what all didn't work at all are really good too. Plus that one great "I wish I had X" during the ride home.

 

[schplurg]

Deleted giant block of text, kinda off topic.

 

No log here, just a cam and I think the cam is awesome.

[Bankbeater]

I keep my log on an excel spreadsheet.  Then I can go back and sort through the info however I want to view it.

[Catt]

3 hours ago, Bankbeater said:

I keep my log on an excel spreadsheet.  Then I can go back and sort through the info however I want to view it.

 

I enter my in to Word throughout the year & then import into Excel at the end of the year.

 

On the subject of size/number of fish, we have on some bodies of water minimum length limits (12-14"). I enter the number below & above that limit. I also enter the top 5 along with the largest.

 

And yes I record the bad days ?

[Jig Man]

3 hours ago, Bankbeater said:

I keep my log on an excel spreadsheet.  Then I can go back and sort through the info however I want to view it.

X2. I have been doing this for 20 years. I can compare weather, lake levels, baits, etc when planning trips.

[TnRiver46]

I don’t keep a log but I Always take a picture of at least one fish , google photos is always reminding me of what was biting where in years gone by. Got one just yesterday, largemouth and yellow perch off the dock 

[NYWayfarer]

I take a pic of each catch.

 

I fill out my log later on with the information I collect from the pics:

 

Date

Time of catch

Species

Bait used

Air temp (weather app)

Water temp (thermometer)

[DogBone_384]

I’ve kept a spreadsheet with much of the data you’ve listed since 2014.

 

I started using the ANGLR app in 2019.

 

The ANGLR app does a good job of tracking you, your catches, and local weather conditions.

 

Both help in planning my trips.

 

 

[Dens228]

I used Anglr off and on last year but it frustrated me.  Random lock ups were one thing but once I hit the water I want to fish, and more than a few times I'd go to start the app as I got on the water and it would day I needed to update.....well I'm too anxious to get started and don't want to waste time downloading the app after I'm already on the water.  It would be nice if they sent and email advising of the update or let you run the app without downloading the updated version for a certain length of time. 

[Jaderose]

Nope.  Nor do I carry a camera, phone, or even a scale.  I've only ever weighed one fish I've ever caught and it was only because a guy was close to me that had a scale and it was a biggun.  He wanted to weigh it.  None of that seems important to me.